Succulents are water-retaining plants from more than sixty families and three-hundred genera adapted to arid climates or soil conditions. Succulents have evolved special water-storage tissues in thickened or swollen leaves, stems or roots. By making the most of scarce available moisture, succulents can survive in the wild in habitats that are far too dry for most other plants.
Succulent plants grown domestically as house plants oftentimes are subjected to environmental conditions that are not beneficial for their survival. Extremes in temperature, humidity and aeration will cause stress on the plant which can lead to plant damage or death. In particular, over- and/or under-watering by plant owners can be especially harmful. Overwatering often results in plant death as constant wetness causes their roots to rot, which leaves the plant without a means for taking up nourishment. This causes their leaves to droop with the plant eventually dying. Because environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity needs to be considered, this makes determining the amount of water and the frequency of watering required by a succulent plant even more difficult for a plant owner.
There exists a need, therefore, for a quantitative, standardized way to determine the amount of water and watering frequency required by a succulent plant in order to maintain and prolong the plant's health, vitality and longevity.